Senior Engineer, Asset Engineering
Peterhead, GB, AB42 3EP
Role : Control Systems Engineer
Location: St Fergus Gas Terminal SN1 - Peterhead
Salary: £53,461 to £62,895 and range of benefits
About Us
National Gas is securing Britain’s energy. We transport gas throughout Great Britain, repair and maintain gas pipelines, and manage the meters that allow millions of homes and businesses to access the energy they need. We are the national gas network, providing secure energy to power Britain, achieve net zero, and maintain our industrial competitiveness
About the Role
The Controls System Engineer is responsible for the design, standardisation, maintenance, and lifecycle management of control systems across St Fergus and SN1. The role oversees and managing compliance against regulations to ensure all works meet specification requirements, optimises operational technology interfaces and supports continuous improvement in control system reliability and performance.
What You'll be doing
Maintain and demonstrate compliance with IEC 61511 across all works and projects within St Fergus and SN1.
• Assess, monitor, and maintain site specific requirements to meet applicable legislation and regulatory standards.
• Undertake and review risk assessments associated with control system changes and promote awareness of safe working practices.
• Develop, implement, and maintain a structured plan for the standardisation of control system construction, maintenance, and documentation.
• Define, implement, and govern guidelines for control system related works, including training requirements, documentation standards, and local work instructions (LWIs).
• Establish, implement, and maintain standardised password management and backup storage protocols across the OT network.
• Contribute to and support the design, implementation, testing, and commissioning (FAT/SAT) of new and modified control systems.
• Oversee and authorise software changes to critical systems, maintaining comprehensive software change logs for DCS, SCADA, PLCs, and associated controllers (e.g. Governors, CCC).
• Review, redefine, and maintain OT backup strategies, including backup frequency, storage locations, integrity checks, and documentation requirements.
• Review, update, and optimise maintenance procedures for control systems, ensuring accurate documentation and timely execution of maintenance activities.
• Act as the local focal point for arranging specialist vendor support and manage associated service level agreements.
• Monitor and maintain the overall health and integrity of control systems, including review of software changes for compliance, risk mitigation, and operational integrity.
• Develop and implement competency frameworks for operators and technicians involved in the operation and maintenance of control systems.
• Provide technical guidance, training, and knowledge sharing to support basic operations, fault finding, and troubleshooting activities.
• Control, maintain, and review critical documentation, including software licences, software change records, configuration files, and network architecture diagrams.
Create, maintain, and periodically review local work instructions to support technicians during callouts, fault resolution, and maintenance activities
About You
You’re an experienced Control Systems Engineer with an HNC (or equivalent) in a relevant engineering discipline and proven experience with DCS, PLC, and SCADA systems in safety‑critical or COMAH‑regulated environments.
You have hands‑on experience delivering control system changes, including FAT/SAT, commissioning, and working within MOC and risk assessment processes. With strong knowledge of IEC 61511, you take a structured, detail‑focused approach to documentation, backups, and working with OEMs to ensure safe, compliant operations.
Security Clearance
The successful candidate must be able to achieve and maintain Security Check (SC) security clearance for this role.
Many of the positions within our company are subject to national security clearance and Trade Control restrictions. This means that your eligibility for certain roles may be affected by your place of birth, nationality, current or former citizenship, and any residency you hold or have held. Further details are available at United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Key Requirements and Experience
- Educated to minimum of HNC (or equivalent) in one of the following discipline areas:
- Control & Instrumentation
- Electrical / Electronic Engineering
- Automation and Systems
- Proven experience working with industrial control systems, including DCS, PLCs, and SCADA, within a safety critical, regulated, or COMAH equivalent environment.
- Demonstrable hands on experience of control system modifications, including software changes, testing, commissioning, and post change verification.
- Strong experience within Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), commissioning, and system handover activities.
- Demonstrable experience implementing, maintaining, and reviewing backup, recovery, and configuration management strategies for OT control systems
- Proven knowledge and experience in demonstrating compliance with IEC 61511 and/or comparable functional safety standards throughout the control system lifecycle.
- Demonstrable experience conducting, contributing to, and reviewing risk assessments and Management of Change (MOC) processes involving control systems.
- Substantial experience developing, maintaining, and controlling technical procedures, Local Work Instructions (LWIs), and governance related documentation.
- Strong experience in dealing with OEMs, system integrators, and specialist vendors to support control system activities.
- Proven experience managing and maintaining critical control system documentation, including software licences, software inventories, configuration records, and network architecture diagrams.
What We Can Offer You
Annual bonus of up to 6% based on personal and company performance
26 days’ holiday plus statutory holidays - option available to buy extra holiday days
Generous double-match pension scheme - for every £1 you put in, we'll add £2 (max company contribution 12%)
An optional flexible benefit scheme, including private healthcare, dental insurance, technology plans, travel insurance
Death in service 10x your basic salary
Financial protection if you're unable to work due to long term illness or injury
Excellent family friendly provisions - maternity/paternity/adoption/shared parental leave
Professional development and career progression
Employee assistance programme offering free confidential professional counselling 24 hours per day
Financial support to help you cover the cost of professional membership subscriptions, relevant to your role
Inclusive Recruitment
At National Gas, we are disability confident and we are signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant, committed to building a workforce that represents the communities we serve. We celebrate the different experiences our colleagues bring to our organisation, and strongly encourage applicants of all backgrounds to apply. Please let us know of any reasonable adjustments you need to perform your best.
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